LOD’s 2018 Prospects: Los Angeles Dodgers – Catcher

During the 2017-2018 offseason, we here at LOD are putting together a different kind of prospect list than you’re used to seeing. As opposed to typical prospect rankings, we are going position by position to give you the names to look out for in each organization in the upcoming season.

In our first installment we discussed LOD’s pick for the top right handed and left handed pitchers to keep your eye on for the defending NLCS champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Today we look at the other half of the battery and give you the catcher to look out for in 2018.

Top catching prospects are a dime a dozen in today’s game. With so many different skills necessary to become an elite all around player at the position, they typically require a little more time to develop. Fortunately for the Dodgers, they aren’t plagued with this issue that so many teams face. With a rather deep pool at the position, selecting one guy to stand out above the rest this upcoming season was no easy task.

Keibert Ruiz is one of the most highly touted catching prospects in all of baseball. Signed by the Dodgers out of Venezuela when he was 16, Ruiz has been steadily rising through the system as his club has not been afraid to challenge him. After spending two seasons in Rookie ball, the Valencia native began the 2017 season in Single-A with Great Lakes. Ruiz was more than three years younger than the average player in the Midwest League, but that did not stop him from being elected to the All-Star game. Ruiz continued to impress and was eventually called up to Advanced-A 10 days before his 19th birthday. He did not miss a beat after the promotion, posting a wRC+ of 119 over his 38 games with Rancho Cucamonga. He would finish the regular season with the Quakes, but was added to the postseason roster of the Dodgers Double-A affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers.

The switch-hitting catcher will more than likely spend the majority of the 2018 season in Double-A where he will once again be way younger than his competition. Ruiz has proven he has a good bat that produces a lot of pop and he will more than likely improve power wise from both sides of the plate. Defensively he is a solid catcher in the traditional sense, only time will tell how his framing skills look.

Jake resides in Carrollton, GA and loves everything baseball. He is a lifelong Atlanta Braves fan and enjoys traveling to watch their Minor League teams. He graduated from the University of West Georgia with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. Jake is also a certified personal trainer and has a passion for fitness and weight lifting. You can find his personal site at berrysbaseball.com